Land Rover Life

WELCOME I still believe that most Land Rover enthusiasts would really like to own a classic Defender or Series Land Rover, it’s that just most are too sensible, opting for Land Rovers that are quieter, more comfortable, and won’t leave you soaking when it rains. But if you are daft enough (written as someone who has owned solely these vehicles for 22 years) to be looking at buying a Defender or Series Land Rover, you won’t regret it. They put the fun into functional and you’ll wonder how you lived without one, as well as wondering how you held conversations at motorway speeds, and which waterproofs actually work… You’ll find everyone you meet has a story related to the vehicle, whether they’ve owned one, driven one or have a friend…

Tracey Slocombe What better to make a hearty autumnal feast than freshly cooked pheasant and chunky bread? If that sounds right up your street, check out Tracey’s recipe on p52 – and remember to send us your cooking pics. Brian Hartley As someone who eyes newfangled stuff with a bit of suspicion, Brian gets treated to a drive of the bonkers Defender V8 Carpathian edition. Does it do enough to raise a smile? Find out on p6. Vicky Turner One of the significant benefits of owning a Land Rover is the friendships you can make as a by-product. They’re great levellers and owners are joined in an appreciation of the vehicle, as Vicky finds (p27). Theo Ford-Sagers Scandinavia to Italy, but their rebuilt Range Rover Classic prov d to be…

NEW LIFE DEFENDER V8 CARPATHIAN EDITION Bonkers. Absolutely stone cold bonkers. Five hundred and eighteen brake horse power from the JLR Wolverhamptonbuilt, 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol engine, in a Defender Carpathian edition. That’s bronze bonkers. Gold bonkers goes to the just released Defender Octa. That has 626bhp from a smaller 4.4-litre twin-turbo BMW V8 engine; more of everything really, then some more still and a bigger invoice – starts around £145,000, since you were wondering. Quick thinking Right, having got that out of the way let’s get back to the Defender 110 Carpathian special edition. Put some ageing 4x4 journalist behind the wheel, and watch the old grump actually smile, and not because the Carpathian just been launched into a low flying orbit on the way to its top speed…

Octa muscles in When is a Defender not a Defender? When it’s essentially a Range Rover Sport in a new coat. The Defender Octa is the most powerful – and most outrageous – Defender yet, and shares a lot of its kit with the latest top-spec Range Rover Sports. Powered by the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo mild hybrid V8 petrol engine as the Sport SV, you’ll have 626bhp and 533lb ft (750Nm) on tap. That’ll see you past 60mph in as little as 3.8 seconds, just a smidge slower than a Ferrari F164 Portofino. Off-road credentials haven’t been ditched in favour of speed – the wading depth has been upped to one-metre partly thanks to the slightly larger tyre size and partly because of the 6D Dynamic suspension, which sees the…

Base rack fitting kit £470.81 brookwell.co.uk This ARB Base Rack fitting kit (17932010) allows you to attach the 8-beam, 2125mm x 1285mm (Part no 1770040, £798.88) Base Rack to your Defender 110 L663. It allows clearance of 32mm under the rack, so won’t interfere with sunroof functions, and it gives 14mm of space between it and the shark fin aerial. The mounting blades are made from 3mm steel and it features a 2mm-thick aluminium wind deflector. It will fit with the accessory ladder with a simple modification. The rack has a 25kg maximum load per beam – but you must stay within the vehicle’s dynamic roof loading when driving. 1:18 Tomb Raider model £249.95 brushwoodtoys.co.uk There are toys and there are models, and this 1:18 model definitely falls into the…

Caranex H4TL tent £160 caranex.co.uk Tested by: Vicky Turner Tested for: Two years I bought this awning second-hand sometime ago and have rarely used it in earnest, and when I have, it was mostly as storage and as shade on hot-weather days. On previous occasions when it had rained, I assumed water was coming in because I hadn’t deployed a groundsheet under it first. Recently though, having first put down a robust tarp, I woke up in a puddle. I think it’s because I hadn’t secured the guy ropes to the vehicle tightly enough so rainwater was pooling in a dip in the fabric above the back door and dripping through. Also, the material is elderly and worn, so it probably needs a coat of Fabsil. However, as a concept,…